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Ted Hughes: The Life of a Poet (Paperback)

by E Feinstein (Author) "Edward James Hughes, the third child of William and Edith Hughes, was born on 17 August 1930 in Mytholmroyd, a village set in a narrow..." (more)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
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Ted Hughes: The Life of a Poet + Collected Poems of Ted Hughes + Selected Letters Ted Hughes
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Product details

  • Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: W. W. Norton & Co.; Reprint edition (4 Mar 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0393323625
  • ISBN-13: 978-0393323627
  • Product Dimensions: 20.3 x 13.7 x 1.5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 238,639 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Erica Wagner, The Times

"This is an admirable book, fond but fair; hard to believe it could be bettered any time soon." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Michael Scmidt, The Independent

"Elaine has written the first full biography of Ted Hughes... a story full of fascination, told with judicious candour." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
Edward James Hughes, the third child of William and Edith Hughes, was born on 17 August 1930 in Mytholmroyd, a village set in a narrow cleft of the Yorkshire Pennines. Read the first page
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Ted Hughes: The Life of a Poet
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Readable and compelling biography which remains objective., 12 Feb 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Ted Hughes - the Life of a Poet (Hardcover)
Elaine Feinstein's biography of Hughes manages to acheive what no other book I have read on Hughes or his first wife, Sylvia Plath, has managed, and that is to remain objective. She does not get caught up in the well known quarrels and squabbles regarding the marriage of the pair, nor Hughes' later life, but presents an objective view of his life. Equal weight is given to childhood, adolescence, university, life with Plath, Wevill and Orchard and there is focus on his poetry which relates to his life experiences but is not presented in an overly biographical manner, rather more gives insight into some of the experiences which may have informed and inspired his work.

The book is easy to read and presents Hughes as a fascinating individual, a talented poet and a real person.

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17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Cautious Bio of Hughes Provides General Overview, 25 Oct 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Ted Hughes: The Life of a Poet (Hardcover)
Elaine Feinstein, a friend of Ted Hughes, has written what amounts to the first full length biography of the former poet laureate. Readers, especially those with a strong interest in his first wife, Sylvia Plath, will feel, I suspect, rather let down by this book. Feinstein's caution and wish not to offend - Ted's living family, friends, and maybe Ted himself - is evident throughout the book. But more than that, there seems to be little here that readers have not already read before in various sources. Anyone familiar with one or more of the several Plath biographies, or Lucas Myer's recent memoir, 'Crow Steered, Bergs Appeared,' will find the information on Hughes' years in Cambridge, his meeting of Plath and their life together until her death in 1963 completely unsurprising. There are a few 'new' bits of information with regard to Hughes' childhood in Yorkshire but nothing of major interest. There are also some interesting pieces of information regarding his relationship with Assia Wevill and about Assia herself, but again, not much we didn't already know. The relationships he had with Emma Tennant and Jill Barber are better and more thoroughly documented respectively in Tennant's book 'Burnt Diaries' and presumably in Barber's forthcoming memoir. Almost nothing is said about his 2nd wife Carol, or Hughes' children with Plath, seemingly because the biography is unauthorized and Feinstein wishes not to infringe on the personal life of the still living wife and children of her friend Hughes. This restraint for the sake of the living is admirable, but it hardly makes for a well-rounded bio. Indeed, Carol Hughes becomes hardly more than a footnote in her husband's life in this book. In any event, the personal details entailed are not salacious; in fact, I've read quite a few things in Plath bios, on the internet and in the newspapers that are hinted at in this book but never fully explained, or left out altogether, probably because they would be considered too disparaging to the subject. Feinstein is mildly defensive of Hughes when it comes to his personal behaviour in relationships with women, and strikes a balance between that defense and holding Hughes accountable for his actions or non-actions. Feinstein also seems to have a genuine respect and fondness for Hughes, although her use of the first person in some sections in the book throw the reader out of 'biography' and into 'memoir'. I came away with the feeling that biographers should never personally know their subjects, and if personal friends write books about the lives of those friends, the books are more properly called memoirs. The biggest surprise is the fact that Ted's work seems to be discussed hardly at all. Again, since this book is unauthorized I can only assume that Feinstein was unable to get the permission to quote freely from Ted's works. Perhaps I'm wrong, but in any case I was very disappointed at the lack of in-depth discussion of Hughes' work. There are repeated references to Hughes' interest in astrology, hermeticism and neoplatonism, but not much discussion of these influences overall. Basically, I came away from reading this bio no more informed about Ted Hughes than I had been before I read it. For me, Hughes remains a creative, talented, engimatic presence in 20th century literature. I look forward to subsequent biographies that may offer a more psychologically in-depth portrait of the man with a more detailed analysis of his work. Feinstein's book is a general primer for those that want an overview of Hughes' life but not much substance.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Authoritative and well written, though some detail is lost for the sake of concision., 8 Aug 2006
This review is from: Ted Hughes: The Life of a Poet (Paperback)
As the title suggests, this is not a life-and-works biography but an account focusing on Ted Hughes's life. Nevertheless, elements of literary criticism are at times woven neatly into the narrative where Hughes's poetry is illuminated by the events of his life. The author's personal acquaintance with Hughes is made clear from the outset, and this provides an unusual shape to the book which begins as biographical work of pure research but evolves to include greater degrees of personal memoir.

The account of Hughes's relationship with Sylvia Plath is written with good measure and is generally objective (as is perhaps the most successful approach for discussing such a controversial and volatile relationship). Overall, however, Feinstein is largely sympathetic towards Hughes on the issue of Plath's depression and eventual suicide, although Plath herself is painted as a difficult character, to the point of being unreasonable.

As Hughes was such a prolific poet with an eventful life, this is a surprisingly short biography (the main text comprises 244 pages) and so Hughes's personal character remains rather enigmatic although the events and relationships that inspired and compelled him in his work are well documented. The richness of details and quality of writing make this an engaging and thought-provoking biographical account that will sit well on the shelf alongside Hughes's Collected Poems.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Ted Hughes
This is the first biography I have read about Ted Hughes and his relationship with Sylvia Plath and although it is well written it was difficult to get a 'real'feel for what made... Read more
Published on 6 April 2005

5.0 out of 5 stars The life of Ted Hughes
Weeks after finishing Elaine Feinstein's book on Ted Hughes, the tragic events of his life are still on my mind. Read more
Published on 29 Aug 2003 by Anneli Eriksson

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but superficial
Feinstein's biography of Hughes is very interesting. As befits a biography by someone who knew him, it is sympathetic but even-handed in the treatment of his tempestuous, often... Read more
Published on 3 Sep 2002 by S. de Waal

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful understanding of a wonderful poet
Feinstein really makes Ted Hughes come alive, as a wonderful poet who had extraordinary things happen to him. Read more
Published on 19 Feb 2002

3.0 out of 5 stars Worth reading, but ultimately dissapointing
This biography would be more accurately titled 'The story of Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath', since that is what the bulk of the book is most interested in. Read more
Published on 5 Feb 2002 by bobbaw@hotmail.com

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent biography!
This is a beautifully written and extremely informative study of a great poet. I really enjoyed reading this stylish and illuminating biography. Highly recommended!
Published on 2 Nov 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars A concise and well-regulated book.
This is a poised and succinct account of the life of Ted Hughes, with a carefully regulated tone. The task of gathering material and portraying events in a true and fair... Read more
Published on 30 Oct 2001

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